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Trump Supporters Clash With Protesters In Lake Oswego March 4 Trump

Supporters of President Donald Trump at a March 4 Trump event in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Saturday, March 4, 2017.

Molly Solomon/OPB

Protests and demonstrations have filled the streets of Portland in recent months. Saturday was Lake Oswego’s turn.

Oregon supporters of President Donald Trump gathered at George Rogers City Park before marching down the streets waving American flags and Trump signs.

Kimberley Looff drove up from Gold Hill.

“It’s the first time I’ve gotten to be in a crowd of other Trump supporters and it’s fantastic,” she said. “It feels great not to be afraid to say ‘Go Trump.’”

Jim Jolley and his father Lloyd Jolley at the March 4 Trump rally.

Molly Solomon/OPB

Milwaukie resident Jim Jolley came with his father Lloyd, who wore a red “Make America Great Again” hat.

“I came down because I support Trump and what he does,” Jolley said. “And I want people to know that.”

The event drew more than just Trump supporters. Two counter-protests in Lake Oswego brought several confrontations between supporters and opponents of the president. At one point, the dueling protests faced off at a street corner for more than an hour. Other anti-Trump protesters waved signs along the road.

“This is my hometown, I graduated from Lake Oswego High School in 2002,” said Jonathon Ledvetter, a counter-protestor who now lives in Tigard. “I wanted to show that the Lake Oswego — or L.O. — stands for love, not hate — and not for Trump.”

Jonathon Ledvetter grew up in Lake Oswego and attended the anti-Trump counter protest.

Molly Solomon/OPB

Chants of “U-S-A” and “eight more years” were met with cries of “This is what democracy looks like,” and “black lives matter.”

“This is the wake-up call this city needs,” said 17-year-old Camryn Leland, one of the few black students at Lake Oswego High School and the co-editor of the school’s newspaper. “Lake Oswego is one of the communities that can be silent. It’s good that we’re putting it in their ballpark.”

Police maintained a large presence in Lake Oswego, as officers from neighboring Hillsboro, Tigard, Beaverton, Gresham, Portland and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office aided city officers at the rally.

An earlier organizer, Lake Oswego businessman Kevin Kerwin, was ousted from the event after he drew criticism for a series of social media posts that included vulgar language and racist remarks.

The “March 4 Trump” in Lake Oswego was part of a nationwide demonstration across the country. A second Oregon rally took place Saturday in Hood River.